The present invention relates in general to a portable memory device for installing software and data files in computerized equipment such as PCs, routers, and servers, and, more specifically, to a storage device for emulating a floppy disk but providing a much greater amount of storage capacity than a conventional floppy disk.
Permanent memory in computerized equipment such as personal computers and network servers and routers typically includes fixed storage (e.g., a hard drive) and removable storage (e.g., floppy drives, CD-ROM drives, and mountable flash or zip drives). Executable program files and frequently used data are stored in fixed storage for maximum user convenience and fastest operation. One of the primary uses of removable storage is to transfer program files and data into fixed storage for use in routine operation of the computerized equipment. For example, a technician in a typical enterprise having the job of servicing many computers, routers, and/or servers within the enterprise may be required to periodically visit each piece of equipment for loading certain programs. The technician may carry floppy disks or other portable media having the programs or data stored on them in order to perform the transfers.
As computing power and memory capacities have generally increased for all computerized equipment, so have the typical file sizes for programs and data manipulated by the computerized equipment. The standard 3.5″ high density floppy disk holds 1.44 Mbytes. The majority of commonly used application programs greatly exceed the 1.44 Mbyte size, and many would require dozens or hundreds of floppy disks in order to hold them. Likewise, data files that are used by computerized equipment (e.g., routing tables in a router or address translation tables in a server) would require many floppy disks to hold them.
Software distributors have increasingly depended upon other forms of portable storage (e.g., CD-ROM drives and flash drives) or external communication (e.g., USB bus, Firewire bus, and internetworking) for transferring application programs and data to computerized equipment. Over time, computerized equipment manufacturers have increasingly included higher capacity drive interfaces, such as CD-ROM drives and flash card readers, and/or network or bus interfaces in their products. In some instances, newer product lines no longer even offer floppy disk drives. Nevertheless, many organizations have a large installed base of computerized equipment which relies on floppy drives for loading software images or data onto individual pieces of equipment. Updating the software loads of such equipment is complicated by the large number of conventional floppy disks that must be carried to each piece of equipment.